Archive of ‘Featured’ category

My mom has been raving about CND Vinylux for months – so I had to see what all her fuss was about. I’m not a patient person, so when I paint my own nails, it looks terrible – the polish ends up all over my cuticles and is applied in the most uneven fashion. Then because I don’t have a fancy dryer, they get messed up even more. But since my husband and I decided to cut out “wants” vs. “needs” (we are saving for our first home), I decided that I have to start doing my own nails and requested a sample of CND Vinylux to try.

My typical go-to colors are very neutral, so I decided to go for it even further by requesting brighter colors. I selected: Wildfire, Pink Bikini and Powder My Nose. I trimmed my nails, filed them and buffed them as best as I could. I then applied 2 coats of “Wildfire” and then the top coat – no base coat was required. In about 10 minutes my nails were completely dry! And in the couple of areas where the polish got on my cuticles, I was able to peel it right off. (more…)

The NordstromAnniversary Sale is in full swing. July 18th through August 3rd, shoppers nationwide will participate in what has been an annual ritual since the 1960’s. Vacation days are planned around it, lines form in anticipation of it – and it’s not only for the pre-season savings on fall fashion and accessories.

During the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, the Cosmetics department provides their devoted beauty customers the opportunity to scoop up unique limited-edition items from a wide variety of brands, which are only available during this time.

Have you seen their Beauty Exclusives? They are a beauty junkie’s dream come true. There are 312 amazeball deals, which is a lot to wade through. So before you head to your local store or nordstrom.com, allow me to play personal shopper and make some recommendations. (more…)

Hello Spoiled Pretty readers. I am thrilled to be a contributing writer for SP! I’ve been looking for a hobby and thought “why don’t I funnel my interests to one place?” I hope that you enjoy my suggestions as we go through the journey of my new hobby together.

First and foremost – I absolutely LOVE Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics products. My first experience in one of their stores dates back 5ish years. My mother, sister and I were on our way home from a Yankees game (a tradition of ours), and we had some time to kill before getting to our train. We were on 14th Street walking away from Union Square when an adorable young man coaxed us into the shop promising us free facials and hand treatments. The scent that was pouring out of the door and into the New York City air was intoxicating. It was sweet and delicious – so we decided to indulge ourselves… (more…)

If you really want to spoil your mom this Sunday, give this gift suggestion a whirl.

Treat your mom to a gorgeous complexion for Mother’s Day this year. Gentle yet powerful, Clarisonic’s patented sonic technology gently removes the impurities traditional cleaning methods leave behind, cleansing six times better than your hands alone. In just 60 seconds, its sonic action removes impurities from pores so that creams, serums, and moisturizers are more effective. And with regular daily use you’ll notice a reduction in dry patches, oily areas, and blemishes. For this kit, Clarisonic partnered with skincare leaders Fresh, Josie Maran and Algenist to provide a complete cleansing and correcting regimen, reducing the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin tone. (more…)

One of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts for Mama Spoiled Pretty is a beautiful floral bouquet. Yes, flowers can be a bit cliche…but when done correctly, they’re the perfect present. First, when purchasing flowers, it’s best to plan in advance. A store-bought bouquet with the price tag still on it is the antithesis of a thoughtful gesture. Plus, you’re giving your lovely mom work to do – because now she has to find an appropriate vase, cut the stems and arrange the flowers. And, it may be just me…but no matter how hard I arrange those flowers, I can never get them to look as good in the vase as they looked in the cellophane.

So do yourself (and your mom) a favor and order some professionally arranged flowers – and have them delivered to your mom’s door. I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t get giddy from a flower delivery. Plus, the surprise factor kicks the gift up a few notches.

Right now, RueLaLa is having a ProPlants sale. For $21-49, you can send your mother these artfully arranged orchids:

For a long time, Mother’s Day was just another Hallmark holiday to me. Time to buy the obligatory bouquet and card, right? That is until I had my son, Westley. Only then did I understand what a difficult (and rewarding) job motherhood truly is. And now that Westley is 3.5-years-old and I’m 2 months shy of welcoming his little sister into the world, Mother’s Day holds even more meaning for me. So do me a favor. This Mother’s Day, I want you to spoil the mothers in your life. It’s okay if your wallet is a little light. We moms appreciate a home-cooked meal, a thoughtful email/text message and – yes – the obligatory bouquet or card. But in case you’re feeling generous this year, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Mother’s Day gift suggestions over the next 10 days or so. After years of coveting a Tory Burch handbag, I recently bit the bullet and gifted myself with this Amanda Round Crossbody Bag. Now, I’m a Tory Burch convert coveting more fabulous accessories. These key chains are so cute and would make the perfect gift for a true Tory Burch fan.